Lenny Kravitz releases ‘Mama Said’ deluxe edition

Twenty-one years after providing the public with his breakthrough sophomore album Mama Said, rocker Lenny Kravitz released a digitally remastered edition today.

Lenny recently told Billboard that he had gone through a “serious depression” prior to releasing Mama Said in 1991.

"It was a crazy time. My ex-wife [actress Lisa Bonet] and I were going through issues," Lenny recalled. "I just had my child the year before ("Let Love Rule" came out). I was adjusting to success and…fame. It was a lot to deal with…I just let all these feelings out onto the songs. It was very cathartic for me.”

For the reissue of the classic album, Lenny shares 21 bonus songs—15 of which were previously unreleased. Among the gems are demos of Mama Said tracks, a remix of “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over,” and a live EP recorded in Rotterdam during the Mama Said tour. The set also includes never-before-heard songs “Riding On The Wings Of My Lord” and “Framed, Lying, Crying.”

“These were things I didn’t have time to finish, or I didn’t feel they were (right) for that moment,” Lenny said. “I was tempted to finish them…but I said, ‘Y’know what, man—no. Let it be what it was, from that time.”

The four-time Grammy winner emerged on the scene in 1989 with the album Let Love Rule, but he achieved widespread popularity in 1991 with follow-up album Mama Said, which broke into the Top 40 and spawned #2 single “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over.” He also collaborated with former Guns ‘N Roses guitarist Slash for “Always on the Run.”

Lenny is currently touring Europe in support of his 2011 album of original material, “Black and White America.” The boundary-breaking star is also gaining young fans with a recurring role as Cinna, a stylist in the popular Hunger Games film franchise.